Fabric-cutting machine.



A. ROOS. FABRIC CUTTING MACHINE. APPLIOATION nun SEPT. 16, 1909.

954,21 0. P nted Apr. 5, 1910.

4 sums-sum 1.

WITNESSES:

A TTOR/VEV ANDHEW a, arm/m cu mumUnwuaAF-ums, wpswmwn n c A. RODS.FABRIC CUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED-SEPT.16, 1909.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

4 SHEETS-8HEET 2.

h) Illllllllll" llllflw M! 1/5 IV TOR A TTOR/VEV Monzw u arr/mm cowmo-Lvmoamr'uzus wmumurom u. C

A. ROOSQ FABRIO CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.16, 1909,

954,21 0. Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSE: I l/VVE/VTOR gm QM W/W /Z% BY ATTORNEY A. 300s. FABRIC GUTTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.18, 1909.

Patented Apr; 5, 1910.

WITNESSES mom 5r UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARNOLD ROOS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT ARNOLDB. HEINE & 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A FIRM.

FABRIC-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1909.

Patented Apr. 5, 1910.

Serial No. 518,006.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARNOLD Roos, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, New York county, State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Fabric-Cutting Machines, of whichthe following is a clear, full, and exact specification.

This invention relates to fabric cutting machines especially designedfor cutting but fabrics in irregular lines or in a piece adjacent todesigns thereon, for instance fabrics upon which lace designs are formedby embroidery or otherwise.

An embroidery lace is commonly formed upon sheets of fabric ofconsiderable width, each sheet containing a plurality of such designsand the designs so formed, are, as far as I am aware, now out from thesheet by hand. By my Patent No. 879,675 of February 18, 1908, I havedescribed a machine for a similar purpose, but in practice the same hasshown so many disadvantages and inconveniences that it could notprofitably be used. I therefore have been led to the construction of themachine forming the object of the present invention which does away withall the disadvantages accompanying the use of the older machine, andwhich, although being of simple and inexpensive construction, may beworked to great advantage by a skilled operator to cut out a pluralityof designs simultaneously.

To these and other ends which will hereinafter be more fully explained,my invention comprises devices, novel features of improvement andcombination and arrangement of parts or elements, which will behereafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings forming part of this specification. wherein Figure 1 is a planview of a fabric cutting machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine fromthe righthand side. Fig. 41- is an end view of the same from the lefthand side. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the knife guidingmecl'ianism. Fig. (3 is a detail plan view of the same. Fig. 7 is acentral crosssection through the knife guiding and operating devices.Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of the cutting blade and its holder.Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a piece of fabric having a designthereon and showing the blades in Fig. 10 at an enlarged perspectiveview of a cutting blade in the act of severing the fabric.

Like characters of reference are intended to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a suitable base or support forthe frame 2 of the fabric cutting machine.

hlovement is imparted to the machine in the customary well known mannerfrom any source of power by means of a belt traveling over a pulley 3,driving a shaft 4, revolving in suitable bearings mounted upon the baseof f nine 2. The shaft 41- carries at each of its ends betweenconveniently arranged sleeves and collars friction disks 5 and verticalplunger bars (3, integrally with said disks and connected at their upperends by a connecting rod 7 from which a longitudinally slotted guide bar8 for the knife holders 9, 9, is suspended between suitable brackets 10,the jaws 11 of which, are clamped around said rod 7. During therevolution of the shaft i: a vertical reciprocating movement is thusimparted to the knife holders, whereby the blades are caused to rapidlypass through the fabric.

The fabric is led from a reel or other suitable receptacle (not shown)over a conveniently arranged guide roller 1'-,l in front of the machineand is fed between two rollers 15 and 1t) revolving in suitable brackets17, 1.7, forming an integral part of the frame 2 upon the base 1. Thelower of said rollers, 15, being ren'iovable, is kept in place by asuitable thorn or point of a horizontal pivotpin standing under theaction of a spring arranged in a horizontal cylindrical casing 18, sothat by means of a thumb screw 19 or other suitable device the pressureof this spring against the pin may be released and the roller thenwithdrawn from its holder.

To the upper horizontally inclined portion of the brackets 17 is screwedor otherwise secured, a table 20, across which the fabric is guidedunderneath the cutting blades Longitudinally across the table in itsmiddle, a slotted bar 23 is extending, screwed with its ends to thetable and serving to hold suitable guide rollers for the ei lges of thefabric in case the same is of considerable width, so as to avoiddoubling up of the fabric at the edges. Said rollers being carried bysuitable lever arms, the free ends of which are fastened to the bar 23by set screws extending through the slot of said bar, where they aresecured by nuts or the like; the rollers engaging the fabric above thegrooved roller 21. The roller 21 is arranged in a suitable frame adaptedto be raised and lowered by means of a hand lever 24 which can benormally locked in vertical. position for the purpose of keeping theroller elevatedso that the cutting blades may work into its grooveduring their up and down stroke after having passed through the fabric.The roller is lowered by releasing the hand lever 24 for the purpose ofexchanging the cutting blades, if such is necessary. After having passedthe blades 22 and the roller 21, the designs will have been cut from thecloth, as shown at 25, and will be drawn between pressing rollers 26,27, revolving in suitable bearings be tween conveniently arrangedstandards 28, 28, integral with the brackets 17 upon the frame 2 of themachine at the rear side of the same; one of said rollers, 26 forinstance, may be heated by electricity or otherwise to increase thepressing effect. In the pre ferred form of my invention, an electricallyoperated heating device is shown in Fig. 1, one pole of a source ofelectricity 79 is con nected to the frame of the machine, meanwhile itsother pole is connected to a wire 80 embedded in current resistingmaterial within said roller. The blades 22 are of the bayonet variety,that is, tapered and meeting in a sharp point, the edges being alsoground to a knife edge. If the blades become dull, or are broken orbent, they can be readily removed from their holders by loosening theset screw 32 later on referred to. The cutout fabrics after having beenpressed between the rollers 26, 27, may be rolled up by any desired wellknown means not shown). As the blades are reciprocated and the fabrictravels, the said blades will sever the fabric along the contour of thedesign thereon. Owing to the angular formation of said blades, theywill, as they reciprocate, cut the fabric independently of the move mentthereof, the feed of the fabric being simply to advance the designthereon toward the blades. The feed of the fabric and the reciprocationof the blades will be properly proportioned to fulfil the requirements.

As above stated, the knife holders 9 are suspended from a slottedguide-way or bar 8 and may be arranged in any convenient number, theyconsist of a socket member, the upper end of which is screw-threaded andextends vertically through the slot of the guide-way, where it is heldin position by means of suitable washers or disks 29, slid ing withtheir under side upon the upper face of said guideway and nuts 30 uponthe upper ends turning together with the sockets prevent withdrawal ofthe socket ends through said washers and the slot of the guide-way. Thelower part of said sockets 28 carries a sleeve 31 revolving with thesocket through which horizontal screws 32 extend for the purpose ofholding the blades 22 in position in the socket. Integral with the lowerend of said sleeve is a disk 33 having a toothed periphery 34 revolvingwith said sleeve, the teeth of said disk engaging the teeth of a toothedrack or bar 35 connected to a slide bar 36 sliding horizontally insuitable holders 37 screwed to the rear side of forked standards 88integrally with the brackets 17 and the frame 2 of the machine, betweenthe forks of which, cylinders are vertically sliding through which theends of rod 7 laterally extend to receive the upper end of the plungers6 screwed into suitable sleeves 39. Vertical set-screws 40 in the top ofthe cylinders serve to firmly connect the rod and cylinders. The toothedrack 35 is connected to the slide bar 86 by means of bolts 37, firmlyembedded in the rear of said rack, the free ends of which normallyextend through holes in the slide bar 36, at the rear of which they aresurrounded by spiral springs 41, one end of which is resting against therear side of the rack, meanwhile the other end is connected to a headportion of the bolts, said springs are tending to normally hold the rackout of engagement with the teeth of the disks of the knife holders. Atension device 42 of suitable construction serves to tension the springsso that in their working position the teeth of the rack are firmly heldin engagement with the teeth of the disks 33 imparting to the same arotation in the opposite direction when the bar is sliding to the rightor left. Said tensioning device 42 consists of a longitudinal rod 43having a handle 44 upon its upper side and bein suitably connected bylinks 45 to the underside of blocks 46 fastened to the front side of thebar 36 between the same and the rear side of the rack 35, said linksrevolving with their rectangular upward bent ends in bores 47 throughthe middle of said blocks 46.

The operation of the slide bar 85 is effected through the medium of apivotally arranged hand lever 48 in front of the machine, slightly abovethe right hand end of the table 20, having a toothed segment 49 at itsfree end, the teeth 50 of which engage the teeth 51 of a small rack 52,which with its Z-shaped left hand portion 52 is resting against theright hand end of the rack 35 in the rear of which it is fastened to theslide bar 36 by screws entering the small shank of the 2. Thus, when thehand lever is turned to the right, the rack will be imparted a. movementto the left and the knife holders with the knives revolve in thedirection of the movement of the hand lever and vice-versa, so that theycan be guided along the outlines of the designs upon the cloth to be cutout.

To regulate the speed of the cutting blades and the proportional speedof the feed for the fabric, a suitable braking device is arranged at theright hand side of the machine. This device consists of a horizontallybrake rod 54 turning in a perforated block 55 arranged at the side ofthe base 1 of the machine, between two guiding collars 5t;

4 upon said rod. One endof said rod carries a hand lever or handle, 57,meanwhile its other end extending through a perforated block 58 alsoarranged at the side of the base 1 presses with its flattened part ofits periphery against a collar 59 of a horizontally movable rod 60laterally extending from the base 1, so that in turning the handle 57 tothe right, the rod (50 is following this movement. Said movement of therod (30 is transferred to a sliding sleeve (31 upon the shaft 4 by meansof a link (32 screwed with its lower end to the end of rod (30 andgripping with its forked upper end around the sleeve (31 between the twocollars 6b, (33 forming an integral part therewith. Between the outerside of the right hand collar and a head portion (33 at the end of theshaft l a strong flat spring 64 is inserted tending to press thecollared sleeves to the left. The left hand collar (33 of the sleeve ismade in one piece with one member 5 of a friction clutch (36, the othermember (37 of which is formed in one piece with a cog-wheel (58 betweentwo collars ('39, to which it is firmly connected. The left hand collar70, standing in frictional contact with the disk, Said cog-wheel (38during its rotation is engaging the teeth of a gear-wheel 71 rotatingwith a movable sleeve upon the shaft for the lower pressing roller, 27.Thus the speed of rotation of the shaft 41- and of the shaft for thepressing rollers coupled therewith, in a predetermined proportion can beincreased or decreased at will by throwing the hand lever 57 to theright or to the left. In throwing said handle to the left, the membersof the clutch (36 will come into more or less frictional contact andproduce a more or less pronounced braking effect upon the shaft 4 andthe parts coupled thereto.

Underneath the lower front guiding roller 15 for the fabric, a parallelsteel rod M is provided, the left hand end of which is standing underthe action of a thumb screw 75 by means of which said bar may be nearedor withdrawn from the lower roller 15, so that by the exertion of astronger or lighter pressure upon the fabric, the speed of feeding thesame between the front guiding rollers may be varied at will.

The upper pressing roller 26, at the rear of the machine may be removedby means of suitable latches 76 eccentrically pivoted to squared headsof said rollers projectii'lg over the sides of the standards 98, thelower semi-circular periphery of said rollers is frictionally contactingwith pins 77 in the machine frame, so that by turning the latches bymeans of knobs 78 at the outside of the same in vertical position theroller will be lifted out of its hearings in the standards and can theneasily be removed.

It will of course be understood that the details and construction of thevarious features of my invention hereimibove described may be varied inmany particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of myinvention.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of a plurality ofadjustable pivotally mounted reciprocating cutting blades, working intothe groove of a movable roller ul'ldcrneath the fabric, a slotted guidebar for said blades, and means adapted to cause said blades to out saidcloth to a prc-detcrmined design, pressing rolls, and means for heatingone of said rolls.

2. In a fabric cutting machine, the c01nbi nation of the fabric feedingdevice and a cutting device, said cutting device eomprising a carrier, atransversely movable slide mounted in said carrier, an adjustablepivotally mounted cutting blade carried by said slide, and means adaptedto impart to said cutting blade an oscillatory movement.

3. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of a fabric feedingdevice and a cutting device, said cutting device comprising a carrier, atransversely movable slide mounted in said carrier, adjustable pivotallymounted cutting blades carried by said slide, means adapted to impart tosaid cutting blades an oscillatory movement, and means for imparting tosaid carrier a vertical reciprocating movement.

4. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of a fabric feedingdevice. and a cutting device, said cutting device comprising avertically reciprocating carrier, independently transversely adjustablecutting blades depending from said carrier and a pivotally arranged handoperated lever. having a toothed segment engaging means for imparting tosaid blades a reciprocating transverse movement.

In a. fabric cutting machine,the combination of a fabric feeding device,and a cut ting device, said cutting device comprising a verticallyreciprocating carrier, a transversely movable slide mounted in saidcarrier a plurality of indcpelulcntly trans versely adjustable cuttingblades mounted in said slide and a pivotally arranged hand operatedlever having a toothed segment engaging the teeth of a rack andimparting to said slide a reciprocating movement.

(3. In a fabric cutting machine, the combi nation of a fabric feedingdevice and a cut ting device, said cutting device comprising a carrier,a movable slide mounted in said carrier, a pivotally mounted cuttingblade carried by said slide, a pivotally arranged hand operated lever,having a toothed seg ment engaging the teeth of a rack, adapted toimpart to said cutting blades an oscillatory movement, and frictiondisks and plunbars for imparting to said carrier a verticalreciprocating movement.

7. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of guiding rollersadapted to grip and feed a sheet of fabric, said fabric having a designthereon, movable cutting blades adapted to sever said fabric, apivotally arranged hand operated lever, a toothed segment upon the freeend of said lever engaging the teeth of a rack, a second rack, and aslide bar, a tension device to hold the teeth of the second rack inengagement with the teeth of the disks of the blade holders, to causesaid blades to follow the contour of said design, and means forregulating the movement of the cutting blades and the pressing rollers.

8. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of means adapted to gripand feed a sheet of fabric having a design thereon, an adjustablegrooved roller to receive the cutting blades after having severed saidfabric, a pivotally arranged, hand operated lever having a toothedsegment at one of its ends, engaging the teeth of a rack, a second rackand a tension device to hold the teeth of the second rack in engagementwith the teeth of the disks of the blade holders, adapted to cause saidblades to follow the contour of said design pressing rolls adjacent tosaid cutting blades, and means for imparting to the pressing rolls aspeed proportionate to the speed of the cutting blades.

9. In a fabric cutting machine a frame, front feeding rollers carried insaid frame, the lower of which is removable, a spring tending to presssaid lower roller in position, a thumb screw to release the pressure ofsaid spring upon the roller, and a guide rod underneath and parallel tosaid lower front roller, an adjusting screw to advance against orwithdraw said'rod from said roller, for the purpose of increasing ordecreasing the speed of the fabric, in combination with movable cuttingblades, a rotatable shaft provided with means adapted to impart to saidcutting blades a vertical reciprocating movement, means to cause saidcutting blades to follow the contour of said design, means for rotatingsaid shaft, means for transferring said rotation upon the shaft of thepressing rollers and means for regulating the speed of rotation of bothof said shafts.

fabric, an adjustable grooved roller underneath said cutting blades,pressing rollers adjacent to the cutting blades, a rotatable shaftprovided with. means adapted to impart to said cutting blades a verticalreciprocating movement, a friction clutch mounted on said shaft andadapted to regulate the speed of rotation of said shaft, a hand leverand a spring to actuate said friction clutch.

11. In a fabric cutting machine, a frame carrying rollers adapted togrip and feed a sheet of fabric, a pivotally arranged auxiliary rollerin front of said first mentioned rollers, to regulate the feeding of thefabric, said fabric having a design thereon, movable cutting blades forsevering the fabric, a rotatable shaft provided with means adapted toimpart to said cutting blades a vertical reciprocating movement, arotatable clutch loosely mounted on said shaft to regulate the speed ofrotation of said shaft.

12. In a fabric cutting machine. the combination of means for feedingthe fabric, reciprocating cutting elements, means for guiding thecutting elements, means for imparting to the cutting elements areciprocating movement, and means for imparting to said cutting elementsa horizontally sliding and oscillatory movement of varying degrees.

13. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of means for feedingthe fabric,

cutting elements adapted to sever said fabric, a shaft adapted to impartmovement to said cutting elements, a rotatable clutch, loosely mountedupon said shaft for varying the speed of the cutting elements and thefriction rollers guiding the fabric and means for coupling said shaft tothe shaft carrying the pressing rollers rotating at a different speed.

14. In combination with a fabric cutting machine, a plurality ofindependently transversely adjustable cutting blades, holders for saidblades and means for imparting to said holders and their cuttingelements a combined reciprocating and oscillatory movement.

15. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of a plurality ofadjustable cutting blades, holders for said blades adapted for anoscillatory movement of varying degrees and a pivotally arranged handoperated lever carrying a toothed segment at its free end, engagingmeans adapted to cause said blades to follow the contour of a design.

16. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of traveling rollersadapted to grip and feed a sheet of fabric having designs thereon,cutting blades, means adapted to guide said blades transversely of saidfabric and adapted to simultaneously give to said blades a horizontalsliding and oscillatory movement.

17. In a fabric cutting machine, the combination of a pivotally arrangedauxiliary roller in front of the machine, feeding rollers one of whichis removable, cutting blades, holders for said cutting blades, anadjustable grooved roller underneath said cutting blades, a shaft,friction disks and plunger bars upon said shaft imparting to saidholders a vertical reciprocating movement, a guide for said cuttingblades a pivr otally arranged hand operated lever having a toothedsegment engaging means for imparting to the blades a horizontaloscillatory movement adapted to gulde them along the contour of thedesign upon the fabric, rear guiding and pressing rollers a speed regu-ARNOLD ROOS.

Witnesses:

E. S. SINGER, GEO. C. HEINIOKE.

